Teasing
by almbookbuyer
Summary: 11-year-old Rory Williams finds Mels crying after recess, and Amy isn't with her. "I didn't mean to!" she claims, but he doesn't know if he believes her. Will Rory be the father she needs?


**New One-shot! This is my first with Mels in it! I've been exploring Melody's life and how she had to overcome her psychopathic tendencies trained in her with Kovarian. If you like this, you should check out my other story "Psychopath at the Door". But enough of the plugs! On with the story!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who.**

They'd put Rory in a different class than Amy and Mels that year, and so they were also in different recesses. When he was eating lunch, they were out on the playground. He didn't know anyone else, and often spent his time reading or wishing he was with the girls, especially Amy. Mels sort of scared him.

But he looked forward to walking to recess, because they always walked by each other. Amy would wave, a toothy smile on her face. For the last week, she'd been missing a tooth, and it was twice as cute. _"Hi, Rory! Hi!"_ Mels would just roll her eyes and nudge Amy, muttering something at her that he couldn't hear. The two would giggle and soon be out of his line of sight, going back to class.

Today, they didn't pass each other though.

Where were they? He stood on his tip-toes to look over the other kids. They were almost at the door now. Every time it was pushed open again by a kid coming inside, a gust of wind blew his nearly shoulder length hair around. He needed to cut it, but he liked it when Amy and Mels teased him for it.

A teacher started turning them all back. Apparently, they weren't having recess outside today. That was way too suspicious not to keep trying to find them though. What had they done?

The hallway was nearly empty when he caught sight of Mels. She was in the corner, next to the door, pressed against the wall with her thin arms crossed protectively over her chest. Her eyes were wide and glassy. He pushed through the crowd to get to her. "Mels!"

She saw him and looked panicked for a second before she bolted. Now he was angry. Obviously, she'd done something, and if Amy wasn't here, he'd have to do something about it. Amy wouldn't like it if he let her run off like that.

"Mels!" he followed her down the year five hall and around all the way to the year 8. "Mels, stop!"

She turned suddenly, this time not into a hallway but the girl's bathroom. He knocked at the door. "Mels, come out here!"

"No!"

"Why not?"

She didn't answer. He noticed then that the hallway wasn't quiet. It wasn't time to switch classes, so what was happening? Rory turned to find it empty, but there was talking in the classrooms. One teacher was calling for quiet, but the others weren't even bothering to try. He stepped closer to the nearest room, and tried to hear what they were talking about, but he couldn't make it out. There were too many voices.

Rory went back to the bathroom door and knocked again. "Mels, what's going on?"

She didn't answer again. Now he was really worried.

A year eight came out of a classroom down the hall sporting a thick, colorful pass from her teacher. She gave Rory a weird look as she approached. He stepped in front of the bathroom door. "Do you know what's going on?"

"Why?"

"Can you just tell me?"

The girl looked like she could probably kill him. She was nearly double his size. He didn't care though. He met her eyes.

She sighed. "Yeah. Course, weirdo. Some kid must've gotten hurt at recess. There's an ambulance at the playground."

He didn't know what to say to that. The older girl pushed past him to get into the bathroom, and he let her.

Once she'd left, Rory knocked on the bathroom door again. "Mels?" His voice was stern. "What did you do?"

That was it for her. She threw open the door. Her hair was messy and damp, and tears streamed down her face. "I didn't mean to, okay? I didn't mean to!"

She started to retreat back into the girl's bathroom, but he grabbed her and pulled her into the hallway, holding her shoulders, even though they were slightly higher than his. "What happened?"

Mels pulls away and sits against the wall, pulling her knees up against her chest and hugging them. She won't meet his eyes. He kneels in front of her. "Where's Amy?"

"She said I was cheating. I didn't cheat, but she wouldn't stop, and I couldn't think, and I didn't want to hurt her. I just wanted her to stop talking!" By the time she'd stopped, her hands were over her ears and she had her eyes tightly closed. "I did it again, didn't I? I didn't want to. I swear I didn't want to. It just happened. I didn't know. I should know, but I never do. I don't know why!"

"What happened, Mels?" He was catching on though. She'd hurt Amy, and now Amy had to go to the hospital.

"I didn't mean to hurt her. We were playing a game, and I won, but she said I was cheating. When I said I wasn't, she kept saying I was. She was yelling _cheater, cheater, cheater!_ I didn't know she was joking. I couldn't think. She wouldn't let me think. And I just _did_. And we were on the slide, but I didn't think of that. I just pushed her. I just wanted to make her stop talking! Then she fell down the ladder, and then she was screaming, and so I got scared, and when the teachers blew the whistle, I just went down the slide and I ran away, and I didn't mean to leave her. I was just scared."

"And now there's an ambulance out there, and you're scared that you'll get in trouble."

She nods, still not looking at him. "What do I do?"

"We should see if Amy's okay."

"What if they left already?" She twists her skirt up in her hands.

"Then we'll go to the office."

She shakes her head so hard her already messy hair flies into her face. "No. They don't like me there."

"But they like me. Come on." He held out his hand to her. She stands without taking it, and he stands too. They walk to the doors of the school and look out. There is no ambulance.

Mels is crying again, only a little now. "I hurt her. Then, I left her alone."

Rory is scared now. Mels never cries, and an ambulance has never come to the school before. Amy must have really gotten hurt. He triedto hide it though. "It's okay. Let's go to the office."

"I told you. They don't like me."

"And I told you. They like me."

She looked down at her feet and he dragged her to the office. When he pushed his way in, the secretary was on the phone. He waited for her to hang up then said, "Mrs. Warbler?"

The woman looked up. "Hello, Rory. What is it?"

"Um, I was wondering if you knew about what happened on the playground. I heard that it was my friend Amy who got hurt, and I wanted to know if she was okay."

Her face became sad, and she nodded. "I believe she will be. I don't know the whole story, but I've been here a long time, Rory, and this isn't the first time something like this has happened."

"Could we see her, please?" He knew it was a long shot, but he doubted Mels would go back to class after this.

She shook her head. "That's not allowed, dear. I think you should both go back to class for now."

"No!" It was the first time Mels had spoken. "Amy's my best friend. I have to see her. I have to say sorry."

Mrs. Warbler gave Mels a surprised look and said, "Do you know who was responsible for what happened today Ms. Zuckor?"

Her eyes widened and she stepped behind Rory. "Um... What did Amy say?"

"She said she fell."

"Well, I watched her. She did fall, but she kind of tripped because of me, and I didn't mean to, but-" She swallowed. Rory could hear her trying to calm herself down. "I- I didn't want to hurt her or anything. I just- Can I please see her? I'm really sorry. I really, really am."

If Rory thought Mrs. Warbler was surprised before, now she was shocked. Did Mels Zuckor just _apologize_?

Mels went to the counter and stood on her tiptoes to see completely over it, her eyes wide and begging. "Please?"

"She never says please," Rory put in. "This is serious."

She hesitated but finally offered, "I'll call you're parents."

Rory nodded before she could give her usual _they aren't my parents_ response and she went looking for their files.

…

Rory always felt a little too comfortable in doctor's offices, but the hospital was a place where he'd never been before. People died in hospitals. People could be dying at that very moment.

"Are you okay?" his mother asked him, soothing him by smoothing his hair.

He nodded. "Yeah. I want to see Amy."

"Okay. Do you want me or your father to come in with you?"

He shook his head. "No. It's okay." Mels was already in there, and Mels was never afraid.

Rory went into the hospital room and stood awkwardly by the door. Amy's family was littered around the place, and Mels sat cross-legged at the end of the bed, looking miserable. A nurse in blue scrubs was helping Amy with a pair of crutches.

"Careful now," he said. "You okay?"

She nodded, determination clear on her face. Her legs were hidden behind the hospital bed.

Amy's mom caught sight of him then. "Oh, Rory. Good."

Amy looked up quickly, wobbling slightly. The nurse steadied her. "Rory! Hi!" She went to move a hand but wobbled again and held tight to the crutch, looking a bit scared at the prospect of falling. "Um, I'd wave, but I sort of can't."

"Hi," he responded, shyly as usual.

She seemed to be waiting for something. When he said nothing, she said, "Well, aren't you going to ask what happened?"

"I know what happened. You fell off the slide."

"And I broke my _leg_. I'm going to be on crutches _forever_." She lifted one for emphasis and wobbled. The nurse steadied her.

"Maybe you should sit back down for now," he offered.

Her eyes wide with fear, she nodded. "Yeah. That sounds 'bout right."

He helped her to sit on the bed and she sad against the pillows. Mels was still watching from her perch at the very end of the mattress. "Amy?"

"What?"

"Are you mad?" Her voice was barely above a whisper, but the room was nearly silent. Everyone could hear.

"No." Amy smiled at her best friend. "It was an accident."

"But-" Mels motioned to Amy. "But I broke your leg!"

Amy shrugged. "You didn't mean to."

Rory could see that Mr. and Mrs. Pond didn't totally agree with the logic, but Amy wouldn't care about that.

The redhead looked at him next. "Come here, stupid. I'm not contagious or anything."

" _Amelia,_ " her mother scolded, but Rory didn't care. He went over to stand awkwardly next to her bed.

"Don't look so scared like that," she said. "I'm okay."

"Are you sure? Does it hurt?"

She shrugged. "A little. But hey! I got a blue cast. Look!" She pointed to her leg which was indeed wrapped in colored bandages.

"It's like The Doctor's spaceship," Mels said with a smirk. Amy blushed.

"I -er- didn't think of that."

It had certainly crossed her mind, but Rory wasn't going to bring it up. Instead, he saved her the trouble of explaining by asking, "Are you going to have people sign it?"

Amy nodded excitedly. "Yeah! Will you sign it?"

He nodded. "Definitely."

Eager, she grabbed her schoolbag off the floor beside the bed and pulled a sharpie from inside for him to sign with.

Mels frowned. "I didn't get to sign it yet."

"Rory gets to sign first," she said.

"Why?"

"Cause I said so." She handed Rory the marker, and he uncaped it.

"Are you sure it doesn't hurt?"

"Just do it, stupid!"

 _"Amelia Pond!_ " Her father's voice was stern.

She smiled wickedly and motioned for him to sign.

He scribbled a messy _Rory Williams_ on her shin, and Mels grabbed the marker from his hand as he was finishing the S, causing the end of it to drag and taper a few inches away from where the letter had started. "Mels!"

"My turn." She leaned over and started drawing herself and Amy hugging. He had to admit, she was quite good at drawing. Had he ever seen her draw before?

Amy bent at the waist to watch. "Is that me?"

"Yep."

"And you?"

"Yep."

"Why are we hugging? We never do that."

Mels shrugged. "We should."

"Girls hug."

"We are girls."

Amy wrinkled her nose in disgust, but Mels didn't see it.


End file.
